Wichita eagle., 1887-06-05
A STRANGER ON WICHITA.

The followidg letter, written by Mr.
John Kendall, auditor of Hendricks coun
ty, Indiana, we find in the Danville Re
publican, handed us by Rev. A. J. Wooton,
of the John Bright University:
"An eight hours ride over the Missouri
Pacific from Fort Scott and one is landed
in Wichita, emerging from the cars, few
hurried steps gives an opportunity OF regis
tering at the fremont house, ten minutes
later and there would have been an actual
demonstration of the necessity of telegraph
ing in advance for lodging. The next
morning is Sabbath, which is a good time
to commence investigating, or to see a
boom, any other day On the streets of
Wichita, with its hustle, hurry, push and
drive, might not be fully compre-
hended by the Indianian of the
average town The sales of transfers
of real estate last week are reported at
$500, 200. The amount of mortgages fall
ing due for the month of April is reported
at So, OOO, 900 without foreclosure From
ten to fifteen hundred houses and buildings
are now under process Of construction,
some say twenty five hundred. This is au
evidence that the boom is taking on flesh,
muscle and forming tissue. Time will
fully prove whether the food and methods
employed to produce these results are well
cooked legitimate and fully up to the
standard of honor and human discretion
For one to more fully comprehend this
shooting star of business concentration, a
visit to the actual scene of operations is
necessary. Wichita people are united in
puehing the city's interests. ''Wichits
booms because the time has come" The
people have found out Kansas and this is
why it booms."
Just take up good railroad map of Kan
sas, il you please, and by slight stretch of
the Imagination, one will at once discover
spider web Of mons;rous proportions with
Wichita centrally located, (this may sug
gest to some ones mind a parody on the
Spider and the Fly Within this range or
web extending probably not farther cut
than sixty miles are the cities Of Hutchin-
son. Mcpherson, Newton. Kingman, Wei
lington, Winfield, Ell Dorado. Marion. Au-
gusta, Florence and Peabody. These
eleven cities according to the latest official
census at hand, make an average popula
ton for each of three thousand three hun
dred Of course ii is much greater now.
Within this radius Of sixty miles there are
also some twenty lAalfOau Crossings anu
termini outside OF Wichita. The population
of Wichita. June, 1886, was twenty one
thousand Col H G.. Ruggles thinks ii is
now at least thirty thousand, and d. "
Murdoch. editor Of the Wichita Eagle, es-
Inmates 1t al forty thousand.
From geographical and "rsilroadicsl"
stand point, readers can draw their OWL
conclusions for the future
There is one interest OF the city which
deserves special mention ard ih.t is the
different schemes and efforts 20 found col
leges and institutions of learning We're |
taking 10 Wichita audience, II might be
proper TO say the prospective and future. |
. Athens OF America bu. Is it &. | viii |
substitute in It's stead the Athens OF the |
great American Desert The John Bright |
University Is lead By the Friends, Gar |
field" b The Bspsists. 'Wichisa BY the |
German REFORMED Central and Lewis |
Academy by the Presbyterians, Fair |
mont Ccllege' By the Congre-
gatiOnalists, Sisters and Brothers" Col /
lege By the Catholics. The John Bright /
c University grounds, the only ones which
we were permitted 10 visit for want Of
tin, - now being systematically graded
int a1eees: enc hancrsd and sixty acres
~ p1n11ed and twenty two Of this reserved |